yet ANOTHER major tragedy on everest

[Jennifer Mitol]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/nepal/10775932/Sherpas-recover-13th-body-in-search-for-missing-colleagues-after-Everests-worst-disaster.html

[Stuart .]

Consider the media coverage of last year's dust-up between Uli Steck's party and Sherpas, and this horrific event. If 13 western climbers had been killed there would be plenty of hand-wringing. 13 Sherpas are apparently expendible.

24 hours on, no-one in the western world seems to be covering the story.

Even yesterday it wasn't on the telegraph.co.uk's front page – I had to go digging on the World News page for any information.

BTW as a Brit expat, I rely on the Telegraph for my international news, so I'm incredibly disappointed at the lack of interest.

[Anonymous]

"24 hours on, no-one in the western world seems to be covering the story."

It made the front page of The New York Times, Huffington Post is all over it, and even my local rag, The Seattle Times, had a big piece on it. While you're in the US, you might want to take a peek at the NYT from time to time. It is one of the best, if not the best, newspapers in the world. All that duly noted, yes, the Sherpas are to some degree expendable in the eyes of the guide services, and the people who pay big bucks to stand atop Everest. They are always the ones out front, spending the longest time in harm's way, with precious little to show for it for the risks they take. Still, when their alternatives are considered, a lot of them feel it is worth that risk. They go into it with their eyes wide open and a certain fatalism about the possible outcome. A sad situation. For them and for the sublime mountains that are defiled in the process. My 2 cents.

[Jerry Adams]

National network news had it prominent

[Daniel Pittman]

It was in the 'trending news' crawl on my facebook the other day. Don't recall which news service originated the story.

[Stuart .]

I do live in the US, and have for the last 18 years. Sure, I heard the horrible news on the radio yesterday, and it was on the evening broadcasts on TV. Newspapers caught up this morning, because that was the first chance they had.

24 hours on it's barely a byline on TV or radio, and when I searched major newspapers' Saturday night / Sunday editions in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific I saw nothing on the front pages, and just basic reporting in the sections. No analysis, no commentary, no opinion, period.

I'm sure the mountaineering community will keep the story alive. The mainstream media has deprioritized the story because there is no local interest and no celebrity factor. The 24 hour news cycle focuses on the trivial and the titillating, and the internet has expedited the decline of serious journalism.

[Luke Schmidt]

Maybe its also the fact that we have an airline tragedy, a capsized ship tragedy and a possible war in eastern Ukraine taking up our attention as well.

I'm no fan of the way media often operate but to be fair I doubt there was ever a time when it was much better. People seem to have been complaining about it since the beginning of American history.

[Jennifer Mitol]

As a former national news producer for ABC Network News for 15 years….

Those of us critical of the powers-that-be that decided what made the broadcast each night, and then when cable news came into the picture what they focused on – we had a maxim (and lest the tongue-in-cheekness is lost on the internet…please know that we were doing this to CRITICIZE the media we were a part of and the viewers who rule the ratings….)

When it comes to tragedies around the world, the hierarchy of how much we care goes like this:
1 american = 2 brits = 4 western europeans/aussies = 50 eastern europeans/kiwis = 500 japanese = 1000 russian, chinese, indian, south american = 5000 from the malaysian peninsula/thailand/southeast asia/central america = 1 million from africa

I'm sure I left some out – but give it a think. I'm sure the sherpas barely register on that – and even then only because they were guiding rich americans/brits/western europeans

[Jennifer Mitol]

If you've never read this book – you can find it on amazon now – you MUST read it. it's the best satire of modern day everest you'll ever see. And it was written in the 50s I think.

Hilarious.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/168579.The_Ascent_of_Rum_Doodle

[Jerry Adams]

wow! You must have worked with Peter Jennings, George Stephanopoulos,…

what's the real story about Ted Koppel and Nightline?

etc…

and, is Barbara Walters a real person that will retire, or is she an immortal vampire?

[Jennifer Mitol]

A) yes I worked with peter…he was an absolute ass but an amazing genius
B) I worked with George when he was trying to switch over from being a political spokesperson to a journalist. He was not a genius
C) the powers that be (the Walt Disney corporation) decided that late night television could make them way more money than an intellectual news program ever could. So bye bye intelligence, hello ratings chasing aka entertainment
D) Baba-wawa IS an immortal vampire, but with the absolutely shocking and totally unexpected death of Andy Rooney, that opened a vortex that very well may swallow her as well.

[Bruce Tolley]

The AAC is raising money for the Sherpas.

EVEREST AVALANCHE ALERT // SHERPA SUPPORT FUND

Earlier today at least 12 Sherpa guides died in an avalanche on Mount Everest. In remembrance, the American Alpine Club has established the Sherpa Support Fund to lend aid and support to the families of these fallen climbers and the communities affected by this tragedy.

For years mountaineering has been the livelihood for Sherpas in the Khumbu Region. Unfortunately, many work without the benefit of a financial support system should they be injured or killed in the course of their dangerous work.

Gifts to the Sherpa Support Fund will be managed by the AAC. This is a newly created fund, and the AAC is working to identify the necessary partners and guidelines to most efficiently and effectively distribute these generous gifts. The Sherpa Support Fund website will be updated as distribution details become available.

https://americanalpineclub.org/donate/account?mc_cid=dc822172a1&mc_eid=cd7d2d3953

[Marko Botsaris]

I have had this for a few years on my shelf and haven't gotten around to reading it. You have inspired me to finally pick it up. I was re-reading "First summer in the Sierra" recently, and since it was not fresh to me, and I can be a sarcastic bastard, I was thinking of how much room there would be to parody both the style and substance of some of Muir's writing. I was thinking that the story from another person there at the time, such as the shepherd with a different, less ecstatic, more work-oriented point of view could be hilarious. I was thinking from that person perspective Muir could have been quite annoying. LOL

Anyway, if the result weren't so tragic there is a lot of room for irony about rich white dudes paying 5 or 6 figures to be helped up Everest by people who make a few thousand a year.

[Stephen M]

The BBC news app has given a lot of coverage, this really is a crying shame to read. In a country
Where the average wage is 700$ a year the Sherpas are often supporting an extended family
With the money the earn. My heart goes out to their familes.

Jen,

I looked up that book, Amazon.com wanted 22$ on Kindle but amazon.co.uk 7$, big difference.

[Anonymous]

"1 american = 2 brits = 4 western europeans/aussies = 50 eastern europeans/kiwis = 500 japanese = 1000 russian, chinese, indian, south american = 5000 from the malaysian peninsula/thailand/southeast asia/central america = 1 million from africa

How about the Arabs?

Or would that rotate the list 90 degrees? ;0)

[Author]

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